The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-11-30
THE rIFrIETn CONGRESS-.
The Complexion and Probable Attitude of
the House.
(From the Baltimore sun)

(From the Baltimore SUM
The 9th of December, the date Oh
which the Fiftieth Congress will begin
Within the short space of three weeks
the members of the National Legislature
will have assembled Ut Washington and
have taken steps of preparation Tor tne
work of q long session. Both houses of
the Fiftieth Congress will be OF the same
political complexion as i'll the Forty
ninth, but with n diminished majority
for the party dominant in each. That is
to say, the Senate will continue Repub.
lean by a majority OF 2, as against Il
majority of s during the Forty-niuth
Congress, while the House will be Dem
ocratic by a majority of 10 in the Forty
ninth Congress. The fact that tie
coming session preccdos immediately u
Presidential election lends extraordinary
interest to its work, discouragcs the ex-
pectation that much useful legislation
will be accomplished. The Senate and
House, unless past experience is mis-
leading, Will be at cross purposes, each
trying to kill important measures origi-
mated by the other from which party
capital can be made, or wing with each
other i'll the passage of eXtr0Yagant bills
OF q demagogical character.
The great measure Of tho session will
be an Act to reduce taxes, The attitude
to be assumed toward this necessary and
inevitable measure by the parties respon-
sible for the control respectively of the
House and the Senate is a question upon
which an early decision will have to be
made. The Republican Senate will, we
may assume continue to favor the rotten
ton of the existing tariff taxes. Ii there
is to be q reduction OF taxation the Sen
ate will favor the abolition Of the inter
nal taxes on beer, whiskoy and tobacco.
Until such Il measure of tax reduction
can be securnl it will continue to call
patriotically for big appropriations ror
pensions, subsidies, forts and big guns.
proposing to obyiRtc the accumulation
of a dangerous surplus in tho treasury
by distrit dting the expenditure of NAM
moth sums over series Of years. The
Senate knows its mind, and will act in
the interest OF the pro~toctiOniSts in any
event, whether by obstructing and mu-
tilatlng a tariff reform bill coming from
the House, or by originating a faliacious
tax reduction bill of its own.
The House, unfortunately, is less de-
clded. The Democratic majority il
divided upon the issue Of tax reform
There is q small and obstinate faction O.
he Democratic members, under MIR
Randalls leadership, who favor tho Re
publican policy of protection. In con
junction with the Republicans they ARK
sufficiently numerous, it appears, if true
to Mr.. Randall, to defeat any plan oI
tax reduction the majority of the Demo.
cratic representation may propose. They
are not sufficiently numerous or devoted
to Mr.. Randall, it is said, to defeat Mr..
Carlisle's reelection to the Spcakcrship,
but in the absence OF corresponding de-
fections from the Republicans of the
House, they hold the balance of power
ms regards all fiscal questions.
The Democratic plan for the reduction
OF taxes will most probably DO as follows.
10 abolish altogether the internal tax on
tobacco; TO remove, il practicable, the
tax on fruit brandies; to put the raw
materials Of manufacturers on the free
list, and, finally, to reduce the tax on
imported articles, consumed in a large
measure by thepoor.
Mr.. Randal's plan is simpler: 70
abolish the internal taxes on beer and
whlskey as well as tobacco, and, if this
elects too large q reduction of the Gov
crnments income, to restore it by in
creasInG the tariff taxes on articles, such
as tin plate, that are trXed nov below the
average rate. Mr.. Randail's scheme is
SO clearly imrracticable and unwise that
tariff rGtormerS cherish the hope that
their more reasonable measure will, in
the end win enough Randallitc and Re
publican votes to insure its passage.
once passed by the House, a bill so
popular with the masses Will hardly, it
is thought, be wholly rejected in tho
within a few months Of a Prcsi-
dental election.
Apart from tariff reform the measures
most likely to try the virtue Of Congress
men during the coming session are ex-
travagant pension bills. The excuses ot
st. Louis OF Grand Army pension hunt.
ers have largely strengthened the feel.
lngs against such bills, and President
Cleveland may be trusted to veto bills
passed for buncombe. The Canadian
fisheries question viii, no doubt, obtain
n large share Of attention, in case the
commission sitting nj Washington is able
negotiate q suitable treaty. The
President will probably be roughly
handled by Senator Frye, for not usipg
his powers to prohibit commercial inter.
course with our Northern neighbor. but
progress OF events has minimizcd the
fisheries issue, and everybody is now
that it is not worth going to war
about. The failure of the river and
1arbor bill at the last session of the
Forty. ninth Congress imposes on the
tittieth the necessity Of providing Iiber.
lily for the needs Of the coming fiscal
1ear.
a Fateu slim